Gophers basketball: Malik Smith cleared to play by NCAA

New Minnesota Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino walks toward the side of the court after talking with Malik Smith, right, during a short scrimmage at the Bierman Field Athletic Building on Tuesday. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

Gophers senior guard Malik Smith has received an NCAA waiver to play next season after transferring from Florida International.

"Man this has been a great day for me and my family," Smith (@leeksmith30) posted on Twitter on Wednesday. "Just got my NCAA waiver to play immediately God is good!"

Smith was FIU's second-leading scorer last season while averaging 14.1 points a game as a junior. He followed coach Richard Pitino to the University of Minnesota from FIU, each of whom had spent only one season at Florida International.

Normally, NCAA rules dictate that a transfer student has to sit out a season before playing. But because FIU received a postseason ban for poor academic performance (before Pitino and Smith were there), the NCAA approved a waiver of the transfer rule.

"We are certainly excited that the NCAA has approved the waiver for Malik," Pitino said in a statement. "He is a great addition to the roster given his skills and invaluable knowledge of how we run our program."